Second Chances
by Anna J. Perley
Summary: Its been 6 months since Maeve's death, and Spencer is confused about his purpose in life without her. That is... Until he meets Gabby. Is this the world giving him a wake up call to get back on his feet, or is the world giving him a second chance at love? Includes OC's! ***Temporarily put on Hiatus.
1. Sweet Despair

*** The events taking place in this story are during season 9, a couple of months after Maeve's death. For the sake of the story, I've changed Spencer's age to 27! I do not own any of the characters (except for Gabby and my other OC's) or the TV show! All credit goes to Jeff Davis and his incredible mind! I hope you'll love the story! Please enjoy!**

Sweet Despair

Spencer Reid walked out of his apartment in Quantico Virginia, walking into his blue Volvo and slowly sitting down in the driver's seat. It had been 6 months since Maeve's death, and although Spencer was quick to get back on his job at the BAU, he still felt a little bit of pain at the thought of her.

He remembered the dream he had on the jet coming back to Virginia. What Maeve had said in his dream to him had been true.

From that moment on, Maeve Donovan was only a memory. A memory of Spencer Reid's first, and possibly only, love. Even though he had never been able to touch her, hold her, and had never seen her physically until just a couple of months ago, he couldn't deny the feel of being in love with somebody for real.

The feeling that gave you a reason to get up in the morning. The feeling of having a reason to smile everyday even when you're working on the most horrifying case a BAU agent could possibly have. The feeling of having something to look forward to hearing, seeing, or even talking to somebody. The feeling you had that gave you a reason to live.

For the past 10 months he had known Maeve, she _was_ his reason for getting up in the morning, for smiling, and for living.

…Until his very reason for living was ripped away from him…

Just one second was all it took for Diane Turner to pull the trigger and take both hers and Maeve's lives. Maeve didn't deserve to have her life taken the way she did. In fact, she didn't deserve to get her life taken away at all.

Maeve was the most loving, caring, and sweetest person Spencer knew, and she most definitely didn't deserve to die.

Spencer turned on the ignition of his car, and started driving down the silent streets of his neighborhood. He had barely gotten any sleep last night. The fear of thinking about Maeve was way too strong to overcome.

Figuring that a little bit of coffee could wake him up, he turned right at the next stop light and pulled into a small parking space in front of a cute little coffee shop called "Café Expresso".

As Spencer walked into the coffee shop, he rubbed his eyes and yawned silently, not seeing a girl with brown chestnut hair walking the same direction that he was. The two bumped into each other, both trying to keep their balance as they struggled to stay on their feet.

When the both of them were finally able to balance, Spencer finally looked up at the young woman he bumped into and took in the amazing features of her face.

The girl had the deepest blue eyes anyone could ever imagine. Her eyes had tiny specks of green and orange in them, and something about her just mesmerized him. Her creamy white skin was flawless, and her medium long chestnut hair was pulled into a high pony tail with two thin long bangs at the sides of her face. Her hair had a small curl in them, and they looked so perfect that Spencer couldn't tell whether or not she curled it or if it was naturally like that.

She looked about Spencer's age (27), maybe a year younger, but she was definitely taller than other girls. "She's most likely 5'11" Spencer thought.

Her body was physically fit, she obviously worked out, and her curves complemented every part of her body.

The girl looked up at Spencer, and as her eye's locked with his, he held his breath silently hoping that she hadn't notice a light shade of pink color his pale face as his cheeks started to heat up.

The girl laughed a soft, heavenly giggle and scratched the side of her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry" the girl said laughing slightly "I…didn't see you there."

Spencer's cheeks started to heat up even more. He knew it was him who wasn't paying attention and accidently bumped into her, not the other way around.

Spencer opened up his mouth to speak, his words coming out of his mouth as a jumble of sounds. "No, ah, I…er.. I mean, um. It was me who bumped into you… I should've paid more attention."

The young beauty laughed slightly once again, and this time… Spencer actually found himself laughing along with her.

"I'm Gabriella, Gabby or Ella for short" Gabby stuck her hand out for him to shake, smiling a friendly and bright smile.

"I'm Spencer" he said taking her hand and shaking it. Spencer was surprised by how soft Gabby's hands were. And they were warm… unlike his.

Gabriella's smile became bigger. "It's nice to meet you Spencer. Do you come here a lot? I've never seen you around?"

Spencer nodded slightly. "Only once and a while. Usually when I'm not that busy with work, or when I know that I won't be late."

"Same here" Gabby said grinning slightly "so I see that we've got a lot in common for people who've just met each other."

"I agree." Spencer responded.

The two stared at each other smiling and laughing at the same time.

After about 2 minutes of laughing slightly and sending smiles back and forth, Gabby looked down at her watch and realized the time. "Oh, shoot!" she said looking up at Spencer. "I didn't realize the time. I gotta go or else I'll be late for work."

"Oh, right" Spencer said blushing lightly. "I have to get to work too."

Gabby smiled kindly, nodding her head while pushing a small strand of her bangs out of her face. "Hey, um… do you think we can meet up again sometime? Maybe over here at Saturday at 2 if you're available? We could maybe have some coffee and then walk around the park or something."

Spencer thought about what he'd be doing on Saturday. He'd usually sleep in if he didn't have to be working with Hotch and team, but this was an exception."

"Sure" Spencer responded. "I'd…I'd like that."

"Good." Gabby said walking backwards towards the door. "See you on Saturday" she called out to him.

Spencer nodded, a small grin forming on his face for the first time in 6 months since Maeve's death. "See you on Saturday".

Gabby laughed as she pushed the door open, waving goodbye before walking out.

But just as Gabby was all the way out of his sight, he saw something stick out of the back pocket of her blue jeans. Her black leather blocked her back pocket slightly, but he could've sworn he saw something that looked like a badge, although the badge didn't look like the badges agents from the FBI had. It definitely wasn't a police badge, nor S.W.A.T. he had seen the badge somewhere before, although he couldn't put his finger on it.

He shook the thought out of his head, convincing himself that he had probably just seen her wallet.

It might've been a badge, then again maybe it wasn't.

The important thing was that Spencer hadn't thought about Maeve through the whole encounter with Gabby. He hadn't blamed himself for his old lover's death, hadn't thought about making up an excuse for not coming to work again.

He didn't know if it was a good thing, to not be thinking about Maeve. But then again, maybe it was. Maybe this was the world giving him a second chance at love. Maybe Gabby was the one he'd been waiting for his whole life.

He knew it sounded crazy, to think that someone you had just met could be your life long partner.

But could he help the way he was feeling? No. Not at all. Spencer took a deep breath and walked over to the back of the line, smiling silently to himself.

Finally, for the first time since Maeve, Spencer had something to look forward to._ And that was made him smile…_

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**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This sorta serves as a one shot also, but please tell me if you want me to continue! Criticism and Compliments are all welcome! Don't forget to review! I'll try to update soon!**


	2. Silver Linings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, the characters (except for my OC'S and Gabby), or the show! All credit goes to Jeff Davis!**

**Thanks! Enjoy chapter 2!**

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Silver Lining

After sipping on his coffee lazily for the last 20 minutes, Spencer decided that it was time to get to work. He wasn't supposed to be at the BAU until 8:30, the time right now being 8:07, but he'd figured that he might as well get some paperwork done instead of having to do it after they finished the new case.

Getting up off of the table that he was sitting at and throwing away his now empty cup, he then walked out of the café and into his car before driving away to work. The drive over to the BAU took no time at all, considering the fact that he'd been thinking about Gabby and how they'd be meeting up on Saturday.

Spencer could still smell her sweet vanilla scent, and that smell just made him go insane. Never in the world did he think that he would ever like vanilla. It might have been the first time he had ever proven himself wrong. That, and the fact that he thought he would be able to save Maeve and maybe even Diane Turner. He had been wrong about the too.

Not wanting to think about Maeve and put himself in a bad mood when he should in fact be very happy, he shook his head and tried to not think about her before driving up to his work place and parking at the nearest parking spot there was. He knew that he'd be working for very long hours today. JJ had called him right after Gabby left to inform him that the case that they'd be working on was very important, so important that they'd even have two other different teams working on the same case.

He wasn't sure how he'd ever get through the day, but Spencer most definitely knew that he wouldn't want to spend it thinking about Maeve and have more pain seep through his little heart and out of his eyes as fresh tears. No, he definitely didn't want that.

Instead, he should think about Gabby. Maybe that would help keep the pain at bay for a little while._ "It was definitely working"_ Spencer said as he replayed their first encounter earlier at the café. A small smile snuck its' way up to Spencer's cheeks as he opened up the doors to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

_Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all…_

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Spencer sat at his desk waiting for JJ to call them all into the conference room for the new case. He had his feet on his desk, something he never did, and was currently playing with a blue ballpoint pen he had found on the floor. Spencer still had the smile on his face, only he tried to make it smaller so that it would go unnoticed. Sadly for him, agent Morgan had noticed the expression on Spencer's face, and was slowly walking over to his desk with his usual smirk.

"Having a nice day, Dr. Reid?" Derek asked him. His eyebrows were up and his smirk grew bigger, as if he was waiting to be amused. He knew that he shouldn't have made fun of Spencer, but it had been so long since he had seen him in a good mood, and he simply couldn't help himself. He tried to remember the last time Spencer looked this happy, and there was only one word that could explain his happiness. Actually, it wasn't a word. It was a name. And that name was Maeve.

Spencer looked down at his desk avoiding eye contact with his fellow friend/co-worker. He thought that by doing this he'd get Derek to back off and go away, but apparently…Derek was far from doing that. He coughed a small little cough before sitting up and looking at him dead in the face, before answering the question that had just been asked to him only a couple of minutes before.

"I, uh…I met a girl" Spencer said, matter of factly.

Derek starred at his friend, wondering if he had heard him correctly. Spencer couldn't be over Maeve already. He knew that he should be glad for him. That 6 months of moping around after her death was unhealthy for Spencer, and that he should be thanking the heavens for letting Spencer finally have a silver lining.

Derek just thought it was strange to have Spencer half way back to normal when yesterday he literally had to break into his apartment, drag a depressed Spencer out of his bed and over to the car, and drive back to the BAU. Derek crossed his arms and gave him the brow before speaking again. "Are you serious about this right now, man?"

Spencer looked up at the ceiling and tapped his pen against his chin, as if he was answering the most difficult question there was in the history of mankind. Pursing his lips and nodding extremely fast, he replied. "Yeah, actually. I'm pretty sure that I met a girl. There really is no other possible explanation for what I'm feeling right now." He said sarcastically.

"Okay…" Derek said nodding slightly, a sly look on his face "what's her name?"

"What?" Spencer asked feeling slightly annoyed. Derek was one of his closest friends, but sometimes he just wanted a little bit of privacy. His team knew almost everything about him, his family, where he came from, and what he's been through.

He wanted to at least have something he could keep to himself. Something that only he and nobody else knew about. Something that _only he_ could enjoy. Spencer opened up his mouth to reply to Derek, but suddenly closed it shut once he heard JJ's voice telling the team to go to the conference room. He thanked the heavens silently for letting him dodge this question, though he knew that Derek would shoot it right back at him some other time during the day.

Hoping that Derek wouldn't, he excused himself from his friend's sight and walked over to the conference room with his head down just as Agent Prentiss walked towards Morgan. Watching Spencer's behavior and body language as he entered the room, Emily opened up her mouth to speak and get some of the intake on why Spencer looked awfully anxious and worried. "What's up with him?" she asked, tilting her head in Spencer's direction.

"He met a girl" Derek replied, still staring at Spencer through the glass window of the room. He was currently fixing some files on the desk, probably helping JJ distribute them.

"Oh" Emily said nodding her head, finally figuring out what was happening. Derek was embarrassing Spencer, parading him with questions on his non-existent love life, and Spencer was getting annoyed. "I see." Emily also had a mischievous smile on her face, all of a sudden shoving about 5 case files onto Derek and walking away.

"Call Garcia. Hotch wants some info on the families of the bodies we just found at the previous case. He wants to identify them and hopefully tell the victim's family what happened to them. You know, let the families finally have some closure." She said walking away.

"Will do" Derek responded, taking out his phone and calling Garcia.

"Hey, baby girl" Derek said through the phone "I need you to do something for me…"

He hung up the phone as soon as he finished giving Garcia instructions on what she was to do and who she'd be looking for, now walking towards the conference room as well. Who Spencer's mystery girl was, or what case they'd be working on next, Derek was anxious to find out.

_The only thing that Derek knew and was keeping him from asking right away was the fact that he'd be finding out both answers soon enough…_

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**A/N:That was chapter two! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and followed this story. It means alot! I know that this chapter wasn't as eventful, but I decided to save the details of the team's new case for the next chapter, considering the fact that this chapter would be too long if I added it! Thank you so much for the support! Please review! Criticism and compliments are welcome! Suggestions are too! Feel free to PM me as well! I'll definitely respond! Thanks! **


	3. State-Border Bombings

**I do not own Criminal Minds, and/or any of the characters besides my OC's. All credit goes to Jeff Davis and his incredible mind. I also do not own the quote stated down below. All credit for that goes to Paulo Coelho. Thank you. I hope you enjoy.**

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_"If pain must come, may it come quickly. Because I have a life to live, and I need to live it in the best way possible. If he has a choice to make, may he make it now. Then I will either wait for him or forget him." –Paulo Coelho, 'By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept'_

State Border-Bombing

Everyone was gathered in the conference room and seated at the very old but famous round table. Spencer was going over the new case files for the umpteenth-time, and Derek was watching his every move, eyeing him like a hawk.

He still felt awfully weird and uncomfortable with what Spencer had told him earlier, and he most definitely wanted to know about his new mystery woman, though he didn't ask Spencer about it more than he already had, considering the last time he had done it resulted in what happened to Maeve.

One would think that Spencer would be over Maeve's death and out and about with his life once again, considering the fact that she had been dead for about 6 months now, moving onto 7, though Spencer did the exact opposite. He moped around in his apartment, had to be dragged over to the BAU sometimes by him or another agent, and sometimes only ever spoke when spoken to.

Seeing him shrug it off and act like none of it had ever happened made Derek worry for his friend. But, if Spencer really was finally starting to accept the fact that Maeve was gone forever in less than 24 hours, then this mystery girl Spencer had mentioned must have left a dang good first impression on him. She'd also have to be very special.

Spencer though was feeling the exact opposite. Although Gabby did leave a pretty strong imprint on him and had slightly changed his way of thought, he still felt like hell. He had barely gotten any sleep the last few months and hadn't eaten an actual healthy meal since who knows when.

Sure, he was able to lessen his thought on Maeve since he'd met Gabby, but realizing what was happening, that he was starting to think less and less of Maeve, made him feel like he was betraying her. He felt as though he was just forgetting Maeve and playing it off as if she was actually nothing even though she _was everything_, which was exactly what he was doing right now.

He was trying to push the thought of her away from his mind and replacing it with Gabby. He was trying not say or mention anything that had to do with her, he attempted to get rid of every single solitary thing that reminded him of her, and he even went as far as refusing to say her own name. Out loud, at least.

It took about 10 months to build up everything he had with Maeve. The letters, the phone calls on the pay phones, their first actual (and only) date, the first time he heard Maeve say "_-love you_" to him. All of that started to become nothing in less than 5 minutes. Was it really worth giving up?

Everything he had worked for to be able to be with and protect Maeve, was it worth forgetting for another person he had just recently met and probably wouldn't see again? Spencer didn't know. He didn't want to know. Not yet. He wasn't ready.

He kept looking over the case file, or at least trying to. He only looked over the files over and over again to avoid eye contact with anybody who saw anything that had happened earlier that morning at his desk, but mostly just Morgan.

Though he did already read over the case files in pretty much less than 5 seconds, considering the fact that he could read 20,000 words per minute, he decided to continue looking over it. At least until someone actually decided to speak.

The Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner coughed silently and waited patiently for everyone's attention to go to him. His usual look was plastered on his face; lips stretched into a straight line and eyebrows pulled together, indicating that what he was about to say was going to be important.

That and the fact that he was leading the briefing and not Garcia, who was sitting next to JJ tapping a cute little rubber ducky pen, with a rubber duck bouncing at the top, on her chin. She was wearing the usual; a bright fun neon top with a slightly matching skirt.

Hotch began to speak, his voice as serious as ever, indicating that this case was a very important one indeed. "Over the past 2 months, there's been bombings by the borders of the states in America. They are awfully close to the border line if not exactly on it, and it has caused the death of many people."

He looked around the room, making sure that he had everyone's undivided attention before continuing. "So far, there have been 3 bombings in total. One by the border of California crossing over to Nevada, another by border of Nebraska and Kansas, and the last right on top of California, by the border where Oregon meets Washington territory.

Each of the bombings were about two weeks apart, the last one being last week, which means he's devolving. If we don't catch this guy soon, he may result in bombing the borders crossing over to other countries." Hotch said as he showed pictures of the bombings, their areas, and the victims that were killed.

"It sounds to me like an act of terrorism. This person may have started from bombing towns and cities, probably houses and buildings, all leading up to eventually bombing the borders between states." Rossi says. "Though he may be working with a partner or a group. That would pretty much be the reason as to why this person is able to bomb different state borders at such a short amount of time, considering the fact that they'd have to prepare the bomb and find a place to keep it before it actually goes off."

"That is true" Emily Prentiss agrees, nodding her head and licking the corner of her lip before speaking again. "But if that's the case, how would they manage to get the bombs past the border. I mean, yeah they're already on the border, but they'd have to go past inspection before being able to cross to the other side in a vehicle." She pauses before speaking again. "That is… if they do have a vehicle."

Derek Morgan speaks next. "Well, our Unsubs could be working by the border and letting whoever has the bombs through. But then again, most of the bombings aren't at the borders, they're somewhere close to it. They could just be parking off the road and getting out of their car and away from the bomb right before it explodes."

"That is very true." Hotch agrees. "Unfortunately, we'll have to continue this conversation on the jet. We've been ordered to take this case. We'll be working on it as well as some other teams on the bureau. Tomorrow, we'll be meeting some people from the DIA and CIA, we'll also be working with 2 under cover spies. All of you should rest as soon as we get on the jet. I'm sure that none of us will be getting any sleep for a little while. We might as well do it while we can." Hotch says as the rest of the team gets up to get their go-bags.

"Wheels up in thirty."

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**A/N:That was chapter 3! For those of you who don't know, the DIA is the Defense Intelligence Agency. They are the main foreign Military espionage of the U.S and are located in Washington D.C. I thought it'd be fun to add the DIA. I'm also not sure if spies (as in "James Bond" spies) do exist, I'm pretty sure they do, but if they don't… then what the heck! It'll still be in the story no matter what! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'll try to update soon! **

**Oh, and if any of you are wondering what Gabby looks like, her hair color, what she wears, or even what her hairstyles are, then go check out my profile page. I've got links that'll take you right to the picture of it! I think that this'll help with the story and all, being able to know what the characters look like. Disclaimers are by the links. Thank you.**


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